Top 3 Tips for Hosting A Successful Charity Fundraising Event
Is your organization thinking about hosting a charity fundraising event?
If yes, then you’ve come to the right place!
A successful fundraising event should garner media attention, raise funds, promote your brand through a positive association with a charitable cause or organization, and raise awareness of the organization itself.
If you are planning to host a fundraising event for a cause that you are passionate about, there are countless details to oversee, which can be quite challenging for the inexperienced. Here are our top 3 tips to help you plan and refine your strategy to make your fundraising event a success.
1. Be clear about your event’s purpose and mission
Sadly, many organizations fail to figure out the objective of their fundraising event and do not think beyond the basic idea of raising funds. Keep in mind, every successful event has a mission and a purpose, which become beneficial tools to measure its success. Understanding the aim of any event clears the path for correct planning while helping to formulate a strategy and manage your resources.
2. Stimulate attendee’s emotions and senses
Attendees should enjoy different aspects of the event, including food, decoration, venue and activities, however you need to ensure that none of these overshadow the mission of your event, and for that, you should have a unifying emotional factor to connect everyone in attendance. We produced an event called ‘iBelieve Foundation’s ‘A Rare Evening: A Touch of Red Charity Gala’ in 2016 in Montreal. All guests were required to wear a touch of red to show their support for the cause. This small element provided interesting photo opportunities, garnered media attention and also worked to make people feel united and connected to the cause.
3. Let attendees know where the money is going
Charity event attendees want to know where the funds are going. You can demonstrate this in a number of creative ways, for example you can develop a video that showcases the cause or introduce attendees to the recipients of the funds – in-person! (This can be the organization’s CEO, a scholarship recipient, or even a shelter dog!) This works well to make people feel more connected to the organization, while making them appreciate your transparency and honesty.
‘iBelieve Foundation’s A Rare Evening: A Touch of Red Charity Gala’ was a resounding success. Attended by Mark Cuban, star of ABC’s Shark Tank and the owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, the event garnered attention for the cause and raised significant funds for the organization.
Bradley Dean is the principal of Granite Productions located in Toronto, Canada. Bradley Dean and the Granite team have produced many successful charity galas to date, helping to raise over a million dollars.
